By 3pm on our first day in Stockholm, we had managed to undertake a full day of activities: awoke at 3:30am, flew from London to Stockholm and walked three miles through central Stockholm where we explored the shops and Christmas markets. By that point we knew it was time to find that perfect respite from the cold and more importantly, try our first Swedish craft beer!

Akkurat Restaurang & Bar

All our expectations were fulfilled when we entered Akkurat.

The deep mahogany interior, exposed brick spaces and mustard-yellow walls adorned with beer signs from around the world reminded me of other great beer bars we’ve visited throughout Europe.

Swedish Beer at Akkurat

Our first beers were from a Swedish microbrewery founded in 1997 – Nynäshamns Angbryggeri (Steam Brewery), a great introduction to Swedish micro-brewed beer. I was very satisfied with the Jul IPA and Jim enjoyed their Brown ale.

One of our favorites of the day was a spiced porter beer from Beerbliotek in Gothenburg, Sweden, a small batch brewery that appears to have just opened earlier this year. An ideal beer to drink during the Christmas season.

When we arrived the restaurant and bar area were quiet and we were able to get some great advice from the bartenders about which beers and food we should try –

Two hours after we arrived, there was not one empty seat left in the bar. We congratulated ourselves on our perfect timing, and it was fun to watch the atmosphere change.

Our food was exceptional – homemade and flavorful and a welcome change from some of the London pub food we’ve become accustomed to (sorry London – love your pubs but the food experience could be better).

Not much more to say other than that it was the best way to spend our first afternoon in Stockholm.

Oliver Twist

Our 2nd day in Stockholm found us in the Södermalm neighborhood, sitting at a high top cocktail table near the bar at Oliver Twist House of Ales. I loved the look of the bar – beer bottles lined up across the ceiling and beer memorabilia (signs, flags and coasters) pinned down to open space on the walls and all over the ceiling.

A homey look and feel, the interior of Oliver Twist made me reminiscent of bars I used to love back in New York City, and I felt a twinge of excitement when I realized I will have the chance to visit some of those bars again in the very near future (I move back to the New York City area in two weeks!)

There was a variety of American beer on tap as well as Swedish beer and British beer and cider – at least 20 taps as well as a large selection of bottles.

Monks Porter House

Monks Porter House is a beer bar and restaurant located in a 1600s building in the Gamla Stan (old town) neighborhood of Stockholm.  As we descended down the stairs into the basement cellar rooms and bar,  I sensed it was going to be an awesome night.

Jim was immediately sold when we turned the corner and saw a full-sized refrigerator filled with beer from Brouwerij de Molen  (read my post about visiting the De Molen Brewery in the Netherlands earlier this year) –

I was most excited by was the atmosphere of the place – medieval and cave-like that made for a romantic and intimate spot to enjoy lots of great beer.

This is the view from the table we sat at looking back out to the bar – 

About the beer at Monks Porter House…

Ahh – a beer lover’s dream.

We ordered a sampler tasting of six beers and were extremely happy with all of the dark flavorful Porters and Stouts brewed by Monks.  Equally exciting was the beer from two other breweries that they carried on draft – Brouwerij de Molen and Riegele from Augsburg Germany (see my Riegele post here). Jim and I have visited both of these breweries throughout our travels in Europe and had unforgettable experiences at both of them.

How fun to be able to have some of their beer while we were in Sweden!

While at Monks, we met two people (Mary and Andrew if you’re reading this – thanks for a fun night) who we ended up sharing a table with over more conversations about travel, living abroad, and beer.

The intimate cosy surroundings, conversation and exciting beer selection made it incredibly difficult to leave, and it was a spectacular way to spend a cold Saturday evening.

BrewDog

Jim and I are huge fans of BrewDog beer, first having discovered it in Edinburgh, Scotland during a trip there (see my previous post) in May 2012, where we learned that the brewery is based in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Since, BrewDog has expanded at an unbelievable rate and bars have opened in and around London. We’ve probably been spotted spending certain days/nights at their Shoreditch location, Camden location  and most recently, even checked out their new place in Shepherd’s Bush.

Therefore, adding their Stockholm bar to our list of beer bars was a priority, and we particularly loved the atmosphere and crowd in Stockholm, a crowd that appeared slightly older in average and more our speed.

We didn’t hang out too long, only because we decided we’d rather go back to their bars located in the London vicinity (to pay for the beer in British pounds instead of Swedish krunas!) – but overall it was a great vibe and a lively, packed-to-the-brim bar.

Craft Beer Weekend

We had a great weekend in Stockholm (my Stockholm experience post can be found here), and our visits to some of the great craft beer spots completed the whole experience!

Only downside – cost of the beer. In Sweden in general you should expect to pay at least double to triple the price you’re used to paying for a beer if you live in the US or the UK.  One beer at one of any of these above craft beer bars averaged out at about $12-15 US dollars (between £7-9 pounds).

Please see the map below for the location of all the beer bars I’ve described above.